


Sex and Candy

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Everything After [6]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-06
Updated: 2012-01-06
Packaged: 2017-10-29 00:58:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/314089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“He's been in my universe for more than half of my life now.  He’s been a pal, an adversary, a lover, a contemptuous bastard, and everything in between.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sex and Candy

**Author's Note:**

> As soon as I started writing about Candy, Victoria Dillard came to mind. I can so see that. This series is really expanding in my mind. I never expected to have this Erin but here she is.

“Lin, I think you got laid. Don’t even bother to deny it…its written all over your face.”

Erin smiled despite herself. She smiled because it was true, kind of, and because she still felt like Lin. She was Lin really, at least she had been. It was a rainy Monday night, after dance class, and she and Candy went to Clyde’s of Georgetown to enjoy dinner while still burning tons of calories. At least that was the theory.

The women were roommates at The Farley Center in Williamsburg, Virginia. Since they both felt the need to keep their trip there from public view, they entered under aliases. Candice Pettigrew wasn’t Candy’s real name just like Melinda Alexander wasn’t Erin’s. But they got used to being Candy and Lin.

They always joked about going on a crime spree like Thelma and Louise. No one would know who they really were. So even though Corinne Fitzgerald and Erin Strauss now knew each other’s real names, they still enjoyed being Candy and Lin. It was something just for them.

“I won't even bother to say I have no idea what you're talking about.” Erin replied.

“I want details.” Candy smiled. “I mean, I don’t need the gruesome details, but throw a sister a bone. Was he hot? Was it hot? Oh my God, it was the Italian federal agent, wasn’t it? I Google’d him; he's famous. And he’s gorgeous. Please tell me it was him.”

“It was David.” Erin smiled too while taking a bite of her crab cake sandwich.

Candy was happily married. She and her husband, Michael Fitzgerald, had been through many ups and downs over the years. He was an oncologist at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. She was the CFO of top a financial investment company. They had three beautiful, insane children (that was how Candy described them).

She was also addicted to prescription drugs. She had been on and off for close to six years. Candy lost so much in that time; moments with her children, husband, and loved ones. She almost lost her job and everything she worked for. Erin could surely identify and it didn’t take longer than a week of rooming together for the women to get tight.

It had been a long time since either had a close friend and they promised to never take each other for granted. They would be partners in sobriety. This was the start of a whole new life, at 45 and at 50. Those kinds of things were always easier to do with a friend beside you.

“I knew it.” Candy smiled. “Well I didn’t know it was David but I knew you got laid. What happened; I thought you wanted to try to stick to the year thing.”

“Have you?” Erin asked.

“Hell no…Mike and I go at it like bunnies. But honestly, it’s about more than sex. There is a renewed intimacy in our marriage that neither one of us felt in years. We deserve it after all we've been through; he deserves it. The sex is good, it always was, but this is so much more. It’s saved out relationship so I don’t plan to give it up.”

“It’s not about sex with David either. He's been in my universe for more than half of my life now. He’s been a pal, an adversary, a lover, a contemptuous bastard, and everything in between. Now…”

“Yeah, tell me all about now.” Candy said.

“I love him.”

“Whoa, seriously?”

“Mmm hmm.” Erin nodded. “Two years ago we started seeing each other again. I was still married but everything with Eli was circling the drain. Hell, it had been circling the drain as long as I can remember. We didn’t…OK, we did once or twice…but it wasn’t that kind of relationship.

“I just needed something. And he gave it to me. Then we had a falling out. That’s typical with us. We’d barely recovered from it when the drinking got so out of control I had to go away for awhile. Dave called me again on Day 43 and we’ve been together ever since.”

“It sounds like you’ve been together for half your life now.” Candy replied.

“In a way, I guess we have.”

“So it was good, huh?”

“Oh my God, it was amazing.” Erin drew out the last word, a dreamy look on her face. “Listen to me; I'm like a wanton young woman. But Candy, the best part is that we didn’t even go all the way.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was just second base…with a side dish of third. But I was in heaven.”

“Who got the third base?” Candy asked, sipping her Diet Coke. “Was it you or him?”

“It was him; he didn’t see it coming. I think it was a very pleasant surprise.”

“That must have been very nice, for both of you I imagine.”

“There were many smiles at the end of the night.” Erin said.

“So what's next?”

“We’re not supposed to look too far ahead and I don’t want to. David and I care about each other; we love each other. There are just a lot of complications.”

“You want to talk about them?” Candy asked.

“No, because I fear some of them might just be in my mangled mind.” She did a self-deprecating laugh. “I've been sober for 119 days. I'm refocusing on building a strong relationship with my children, one of whom barely speaks to me.

“I've been back at work for a week. I'm in the process of changing so many things I once felt were set in stone. Do you think it’s a good idea to throw a relationship into the blender? Especially one with a man who I’ve had more ups and downs with than a roller coaster.”

“Do you suspect Dave Rossi doesn’t love you?”

“He would never lie about something like that. Oh God, I hope he wouldn’t. When we’re together its clear that something's happening between us. I enjoy every moment. I just don’t know if it’s the right thing to put so much focus on it right now. Is this why they tell you not to get involved in a sexual relationship? Hell, it just happened last night and I can't stop thinking about all the dire consequences.”

“I don’t know how you can think there's anything dire about being happy.” Candy said. “I understand your apprehension; believe me, but just talk to him about it. He knew about the rule, right?”

“He didn’t want me sacrificing something I believed in for a few hours of sin.” Erin replied.

“A few hours…holy hell.” Candy laughed. “Now I can see why you did it.”

“You know what I mean.” Erin laughed too, slapping her friend’s hand. “I just…I guess I need to talk to David. OK, give me some good news.”

“I lost 5 pounds. Taylor got an A on her science project; the plant thingie. Her research was stellar. I was a seriously proud mama. I nailed Dobson’s balls to the wall in Thursday’s staff meeting; that felt good. Things are good. Are you seeing the kids on Wednesday?”

“Yes, and Nora told me there’s a chance MK might come for dinner. I'm not going to get my hopes up but it would be nice. I can't even remember the last time I had a real conversation with my little girl. I know that’s all my fault but I want more than anything to fix it.”

“I know you do.” Candy nodded. “I have faith. Little girls need their mothers. If you keep showing up, keep talking, keep on keeping on, she’ll open up.”

“I fear she's too much like Eli.” Erin sighed. “I don’t want to blame him but I'm sure she talks to him about her feelings. I have no idea what he's telling her about me.”

“Mary Kate is still going to have to make decisions for herself eventually. What is she, ten? Soon she’ll figure out who she is and what she wants. Just be there for her when she does. Eli is Eli and you're you, Lin. Don’t make this about him…make it about you and your daughter.”

Erin nodded; Candy was right. She was happy about the prospect of MK coming for dinner. She didn’t want to make too much of it. Erin didn’t want Nora and Ted thinking that any child was her favorite.

She loved them all and just wanted her family to be alright. She wanted everything to be alright and as usual Erin was juggling 10 plates in the air. The biggest plate was her sobriety. Dropping any of them was out of the question.

“You know what I need?” Erin asked. “I need to back up and take a deep breath. David and I are still David and I. I have therapy tomorrow and dinner with my kids on Wednesday. That’s as far as I'm willing to go into the future.”

“You also have a crab cake sandwich.” Candy said. “Tell me how good it is.”

“It’s really good.” She smiled. “I might have to run home though, to burn off the extra calories.”

“Nonsense. You danced your ass off in class tonight. I have to admit being initially stunned that you had any rhythm at all.”

“What? I was born…OK maybe not born with rhythm but I did ballet until I was 11 and then put all of my focus on fencing. That’s dancing in its own way. I was a little intimidated initially with the music but Nora has been helping me overcome that. She told me to dance as if no one was around.”

“Well they're going to start offering a pole dancing class at the Mecca Gym in February.” Candy said. “You wanna give it a go?”

“Are you sure you don’t know David?” Erin asked laughing. “Have you two been having secret conversations when I'm not around?”

“No I don’t.” she shook her head and laughed. “I just thought it’d be good to try something new for a few months. If some people, like Mike and Dave, get to reap the benefits than that’s killing two birds with one stone.”

“OK. Let’s sign up then. It’ll be something new in more ways than one.”

“What do you mean?”

“I really need to get in touch with myself.” Erin sighed. Then she lowered her voice. “I don’t even masturbate.”

“Oh my God, Lin, are you serious?” Candy’s eyes widened. “Do you mean never?”

“Well I can't exactly say never but pretty damn close.”

“When was the last time?”

“Christmas Eve…I'm probably going to hell for it. But Dave was just so amazing and I had to turn him away. I wanted to explode. I needed to release the Gorgon.”

“We’re going to need to have a long, slightly uncomfortable conversation about this soon.” Candy said.

“Surprisingly, I'm feeling OK about that. I'm going to talk to my therapist too, and that'll probably be more embarrassing.”

“Good, I think you should. But first we need to have some dessert.”

“You're speaking my language.” Erin replied. “I think I saw dulce de leche cheesecake on the menu.”

“That’s the perfect way to end the evening.”

Candy smiled, holding up her hand. Erin high fived her and they both laughed. Friendship had always been a difficult thing for both women. On the surface, a black woman from the south side of Chicago had nothing in common with a white woman from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But Candy and Erin were more than just the surface.

They were Ivy League educated, strong, type A, classic overachievers. Their addictions stemmed from the overwhelming need to escape from lives they often felt they were holding together by skin of their teeth. They didn’t depend or lean on anyone. Then they found each other.

At the end of very frayed ropes, the women held onto each other and somehow it worked. 119 days later it was still working. This was friendship; it was real, powerful, and something they both needed. If they were lucky, it would be stronger than any addiction could ever be.

***


End file.
